Chapter 15
Sophie visited six months later.
Not because Evelyn arranged it.
Because Miles’s ex-wife contacted me.
She had learned enough to be horrified by how her daughter’s image had been used.
Sophie met Hazel in the garden.
The two girls stared at each other.
Hazel asked:
“You take my room?”
Sophie looked confused.
“No.”
“Evelyn says.”
Sophie frowned.
“My room is at Mom’s house.”
That simple answer dismantled months of fear.
Hazel thought.
Then asked:
“You cry?”
Sophie laughed.
“All the time.”
Hazel laughed too.
There it was.
The perfect child did not exist.
Only the edited video version.
They played for an hour.
Nobody compared them.
Nobody ranked them.
Nobody decided who photographed better.
When Sophie left, Hazel waved.
No fear.
No lost room.
May you like
No father redistributed.
Another lie died quietly.
